Vehicle infotainment systems are constantly advancing and have come a long way since the simple radios, tape and CD players that provided relatively pre-determined content. Modern infotainment systems can stream music from the internet, provide turn-by-turn directions, communicate with remote servers, run applications and play music from a wireless device, and generally bring many features of an actual PC into the vehicle.
Music, for example, can be had over the radio, CD player, from an MP3 player, from a wireless device, or even streamed from the internet. Using, for example, a connection to the internet established through a portable wireless device, a user can access applications such as PANDORA, which sends music tailored to a users liking from a remote source to a vehicle sound system.
Turn-by-turn navigation is also possible, even if a vehicle does not have an on-board GPS system. A portable device, such as a smart phone, can provide a GPS signal, and navigation can be obtained from a remote server or even from the smart phone. The navigation can be output through the vehicle's audio system, giving a user the experience of having on-board navigation at a fraction of the price.
Even vehicle systems, such as, for example, powertrain systems, can be optimized through a remote connection. Vehicle and road data can be streamed to a remote cloud-based server, which can perform optimization calculations and deliver recommended implementation strategy for powertrain control. Other vehicle modules capable of optimization can also be controlled on some level through communication with a remote server.
Even with all the modern tweaks, upgrades and advantages of current vehicle infotainment systems, however, there remains a great deal of additional functionality that can be added to a vehicle. With the goal of making the driving experience as easy, seamless and enjoyable as possible, numerous potential improvements can still be made.